Patricia named head coach of Lions a day after losing Super Bowl

It didn’t take long for the Detroit Lions to move on Matt Patricia.

It didn’t take long for the Detroit Lions to move on Matt Patricia.

A day after the New England Patriots lost Super Bowl LII, the 43-year-old Patricia was named head coach of the Lions on Monday. No contract details were released and Patricia will be formally introduced at a press conference on Wednesday.

“We met with several very impressive candidates, but Matt really stood out in his interview and clearly became the best choice for the job,” Lions president Rod Wood said in a statement.

Patricia spent 14 seasons with the Patriots and won three Super Bowls, six AFC championships and 13 AFC East Division titles.

“I can’t express enough appreciation to the entire New England Patriots family,” Patricia said in a statement. “I will truly cherish these past 14 years as a member of this incredible organization.”

Patricia joined the Patriots in 2004 after working three years as a graduate assistant at Syracuse University. He moved from a coaching assistant to an assistant offensive line coach before shifting to defence in 2006. He spent five years as linebackers coach, one coaching safeties before being named defensive co-ordinator in 2012.

“When we launched the search for our next head coach, I wanted to find a leader that could take us to the next level and I am confident we have found that in Matt Patricia,” Lions general manager Bob Quinn said. “He has been preparing for this opportunity his entire career and he’s ready for the responsibility and its challenges.”

Patricia was the sixth person to interview for Detroit’s head coaching post, which became open when Quinn fired Jim Caldwell after four seasons.

Patricia was always viewed as the frontrunner because he spent 12 of his 14 seasons in New England with Quinn.

New England’s defence has been ranked in the top 10 in fewest points allowed every season since Patricia became co-ordinator and was No. 1 in the NFL in 2016. The club ranked fifth this past season in points allowed.

“Matt is driven to succeed, has extensive passion for the game and excels in preparation,” Quinn said. “He embodies the same hard-working, blue-collar attributes that represent our organization and the great City of Detroit.”

But Patricia is also the third of four head coaching hires by the Lions in the last 13 years to not have head coaching experience coming into the job. Rod Marinelli did not have a winning season in three years with the Lions and went 10-38 overall, which included an 0-16 campaign in 2008. Jim Schwartz was 29-51 in five seasons with the club and had a losing record in four of those five seasons. Caldwell had a winning season in three of his four years, but missed the playoffs this past season and failed to win a playoff game in two chances.

“This position comes with great responsibility and I will commit every ounce of my energy to this football team,” Patricia said. “Lastly, I’d like to express my appreciation and thanks to (New England head coach) Bill Belichick.

“He’s been a remarkable mentor to me, not only as a football coach, but also as a man and a friend. I have learned immensely from his detailed leadership approach to the game, which has certainly shaped me into the football coach that I am today. Quite simply, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with, who I believe, is the greatest coach in NFL history.

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